SIK-Holz_Spielplatzdoktor2015_en

CARE AND MAINTENANCE INSTRUCTIONS
CONGRATULATIONS! You have chosen playground equipment made from robinia wood!

SUGGESTIONS FOR A
LONGLASTING PLAYGROUND
Owning playground equipment is just like a relationship with any other
natural thing: from time to time it requires your care and attention. Regular
maintenance above all, will have a positive effect on your home environment.
Depending on where the equipment is located, deposits from the air, rain and
earth can lead to soiling and may occasionally cause fungi, lichen and moss to
grow. Use of the playground equipment can also lead to surface changes
caused by UV radiation, frost or drought.
Equipment should be cleaned and given a new coat of paint every two to five
years. The length of individual service intervals will gradually become longer
as the wood surface becomes increasingly saturated with each round of maintenance.
For further advise please contact your local distributor or SIK-Holz®
directly.

EQUIPMENT REQUIRED
The Playground Doctor’s Bag
Basic equipment for cleaning a
sculpture and treating cracks
Paints
Acrylic paint for sculptures, varnishes
for playground equipment and play areas
Cleaning agents
Brush, curd soap
Cleaning equipment
Pressure washer silicone
Paste
D3 glue and special sealants
Wax (beeswax)
for sealing sculptures
Wooden keys
Tapered robinia and oak keys;
0.5-2.5cm diameter; 2-20cm long
Glue
Silicon

CLEANING YOUR SCULPTURE
Residues and other soiling can be removed with curd soap, water and a scrubbing
brush.
Grate curd soap (available from a chemist’s shop) and blend it with approximately
ve litres of warm water. e suds will be ready after approximately one hour.
After thorough cleaning, rinse the sculpture with fresh water. Once the sculpture
is dry, a new coat of paint can be applied.
Once this is also dry, coat the sculpture with wax before rubbing the wax in with
a soft cloth and polished with a brush.

CLEANING PLAYGROUND MULTI UNITS
A pressure washer with a pressure of approximately 150 bar is recommended for
cleaning large play areas. Large play areas should be cleaned during the warmer
months so that the equipment can dry well after cleaning.
The water pressure of the pressure washer and the distance of its nozzle from the
playground equipment must be adjusted so that dirt and loose akes of paint are
removed without damaging the wood surface.
After the equipment has dried out, it should be painted with the same varnish and
in the same shade of paint.

FILLING CRACKS
One of the general physical characteristics of wood is the way in which it constantly exchanges
moisture with the air. Changes in wood moisture can cause the material to swell or shrink, which in
turn can cause cracks to appear.
Clean the sculpture as described above. Measure and blow out the cracks before cleaning them again.
Coat large cracks with glue and ll them with the corresponding wedges. Start in the middle of the
crack when inserting the wedges. Wedges should be driven in deep enough to ll the crack, but
without splitting the wood. When selecting wedges, the grain direction (end grain or side grain) in
the crack being lled should be taken into account.

Smaller cracks should be lled with a special sealant or D3 glue.
After the sealant and glue have dried, the protruding wedges and excess silicone
can be removed, polished or chipped o . If performing a detailed overhaul of
sculptures, the original shape should be carved back into the wood.
Remove the old coat of paint using an angle grinder or grinding block. Break
down sharp edges with a chisel. e entire sculpture should then be smoothed
once more with an abrasive sponge. Finally, the sculpture should be repainted and
given a new coat of wax (as described above) to make it look as good as new.

You can purchase the Playground Doctor’s Bag from us.
For details please contact our sales team or your local distributor.
SIK-Holzgestaltungs GmbH
Langenlipsdorf 54a
14913 Niedergörsdorf
tel.: +49(0)33742.799 0
fax: +49(0)33742.799 20
mail: info@sik-holz.de
web: www.sik-holz.de